Green
by RinsDarkMagician
Summary: Music has a strange way of bringing people together. America has no idea how a sound so traditional, yet so beautiful will bring him closer to a particular nation in a way he never imagined. AmeChu
1. Friends

**This is for my friend, lemur. You mentioned you like traditional Chinese instruments and that picture we were chatting about had an erhu. I've honestly never heard an erhu being played before so I went on youtube and listened to it. For most of the night that was all I listened to. It's a beautiful instrument. I can't describe how it sounded. It's really one of those things you have to go and listen to for yourself. **

**Happy Valentine's Day to you! (A late one haha). And also just for you I'll make it multi-chapter! I doubt it'll be as long as you want it to be (12 chapters, girl? Seriously? You crazy...) but I hope you enjoy this story that I pulled out of my...hair ^_^ **

America stared at the scenery before him, in awe of it's beauty. There was nothing quite like this back home.

"Chinatown doesn't do the real place justice," he whispered to himself.

A spur of the moment decision had caused America to jump on a plane and fly to the giant land of China. He didn't know why he did it and the shocked look on China's face when the American showed up on his doorstep showed he didn't know why either. America expected to be kicked out, but surprisingly China just sighed and invited him inside for tea.

The two actually had a nice day. They stayed inside and drank and ate, China listening intently to America's ramblings about nothing. They smiled and laughed together for once neither of them feeling the burden of troublesome nations, difficult politics, stressful finances, or any of the other things that caused them grief.

"Do you live here alone?" America finally stopped talking about himself long enough to ask China a personal question.

China just nodded his head which was resting on his hand. The two were sitting around a table that was low to the ground. America knew there was name for the small table, but he couldn't remember for the life of him what it was called. He decided not to ask just so he didn't sound stupid or uncultured. He took another sip of his drink, staring at China and waiting for him to say a bit more. Just when he thought he was done speaking, China finally opened his mouth again.

"I thought you lived alone as well."

"Who me? No way!" America cried. "I have Tony! He stays with me."

"A friend of yours?"

"Yep!" A laugh escaped America as he thought of his friend who was still back home. "We do a lot together! We play games and eat and drink and party hard! I don't think I could get used to living alone again. I mean, don't you get lonely?"

"Sometimes," China said simply and took another drink. "Nowadays no one really listens to me unless it has to deal with politics or the market. It's stressful. It would be nice to have someone to just...talk to."

"Oh," America said quietly.

Silence took over and China felt guilty for ruining the mood. They were having such a great time and he couldn't keep his mouth shut about his problems. America was here to have fun with him, not bask in his misery about being ignored or disliked. He was going to apologize when the other man suddenly perked up, a huge grin crossing his face.

"Well, you have me to talk to! I know we have a lot of business and other important stuff to deal with together, but that doesn't mean we can't be personal friends, right?"

China didn't want to believe that hopeful look on America's face. As if he honestly wanted to be friends. He was only asking now because he had heard China complain. There was no other reason than that. China did everything he could to push down the horrible feeling of hope, the feeling that maybe he could have a friend in this crazy world. Part of him believed America would abandon him just like everyone else, but he couldn't deny the other side of him...the side that wanted so desperately to have someone near him, someone he could call a friend.

"I don't see why not." China said, looking down. "Let's be friends."

"Awesome!"

America was obviously enthused, though China didn't share his same enthusiasm. He was worried, panicked. What had he done? He had only set himself up to be abandoned again. He knew he would wind up regretting this decision.

"You must be tired," China said, standing up. "You traveled all the way here and didn't have time to freshen up. I'll take you to a room and you can rest there."

"Oh, but I'm not tired!" America stood up, trying to protest, but China wasn't going to listen.

"You'll be exhausted if you don't get some rest. We had some fun, but you really should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll show you around and take you to some of the famous landmarks."

America wanted so badly to argue, but even he knew better than to make Asians angry. The last thing he wanted was China to nag at him and scold him just because he wouldn't go lay down. He followed the older nation to one of his rooms, a decorated room and yet at the same time very simple. The more America stared at the bed China was fixing up for him the more he realized how tired he really was. So China was right...though America would never admit it.

"It's getting late anyway. I should probably be going to bed myself," China said.

"Is it really that late?" America looked at his watch, though China walked over to him and quickly covered it with his hand. He smiled at the confused look America gave to him.

"Did you remember to set your watch to the correct time?"

He didn't. He knew he hadn't and China knew it also. A chuckle escaped his mouth as he moved America's luggage to a more convenient space in the room. America hadn't noticed the other man had brought his bags in with him. Was he really that tired? His bags weren't exactly small; he wasn't sure how he had missed China carrying them.

"Even though your watch has has the wrong time I assure you it's quite late. We ought to head to sleep now if we want to be up early to go sightseeing."

America nodded, a yawn escaping him as he thanked China for his hospitality. He really never expected to be welcomed so warmly especially considering he had shown up out of the blue. China was genuinely a good person. While he changed into his pajamas he thought about how he would do something nice for China in return. His home was always welcome to whoever wanted to come! Maybe after he went back home he would invite China over and personally show him the wonder of the United States of America.

As he thought about all of the places he would take China to see -the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, then travel down to see the Pentagon and the White House- he fell into a warm and cozy sleep.

* * *

><p>America slowly stirred, his eyes not wanting to open and admit that he was awake for some reason. He blinked a few times before looking at his watch, which he had sat next to his bed, only to remember that it wasn't correct. At first he wasn't sure why he had woken, but as he stared at the ceiling the reason became very clear.<p>

Someone was playing music.

It sounded familiar, but at the same time there was no way he had heard it before. Was it a violin? No, it couldn't have been. America got out of the bed and opened the door to his room. The sound was more distinct now and he was sure he had no idea what instrument was being played. The only thing he was sure of was that it was native to the land he was visiting.

He followed the sounds, the gorgeous and calming music. It was like nothing he had ever heard before. It was so elegant and pretty and yet there was something melancholic about the tune being played.

He walked a bit more before he opened a door he was sure the sound was coming from. There was China sitting on his porch under the moon, a long instrument in his hands, one America had never seen before. So, he was the one playing this wonderful music. America tiptoed onto the large deck and quietly sat down behind China and listened to his playing. It was worth it to be woken up for this. How often did people get to see such a traditional and beautiful sight? It was almost like watching a rare tiger in it's natural habitat.

America listened to the sad and lovely music. He savored every note, every tune, and let the music take him over. It had been a while since he had heard something outside of whatever was on television or the radio. This was true music from the heart, a song created from the emotions and feelings of a genuine and honest man.

Just when America thought the music was going to lull him to sleep again China's song came to an end. He watched as China held his instrument close to him and sighed, a shake of his head following. There were so many things America wanted to say. He wanted to ask China why he seemed so depressed, he wanted to tell him his music was absolutely gorgeous, he wanted to ask him to play again, he wanted to know what he could do to make China feel better about whatever was bothering him, but when he opened his mouth...

"Ch-China?"

The other nation nearly fell off the deck when he heard his name called, though he recovered and stared at America as if he were crazy.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you sleeping?" The startled China said a bit more aggressively than he meant to.

"I was! But I heard the music and...woke up."

"Oh..." China set his instrument next to him and brought his knees to his chest. "I'll stop playing. I didn't mean to wake you." He said in barely a whisper.

"No, no!" America crawled across the deck until he reached China and sat indian style in front of him. "I love this music! I've never heard anything like it before!"

"It's Chinese."

"Well, I know that!" America rolled his eyes before glancing at the instrument. It was a peculiar instrument with a long neck with strings attached and large block at the bottom. China had been playing it with a bow which reminded America of a violin or a cello. "What is this?" He finally decided to ask as he ran his hand across the long stem of the instrument.

"It's called an erhu. It's a popular instrument here."

"Has it been around long? It has a traditional kind of sound to it."

"I suppose it's been around since, oh say...the Tang Dynasty?" China gave a shrug as he looked at the erhu.

"The Tang Dynasty?" America asked, obviously not familiar with China's history.

"A very long time ago," China said with a laugh. He watched as America looked at his instrument with fascination. He wondered why he was so interested. It couldn't have been possible America was interested in his playing. No one had bothered to listen to him play in he couldn't remember how long.

"Your playing was really nice," America complimented, a soft smile on his face. It was a look that China didn't often see on the young nation.

"Will you play again?" he suddenly exclaimed, that soft smile leaving to be replaced with one of excitement and eagerness.

China couldn't believe there was actually someone, someone right here in front of him, who wanted so badly to hear his music. It was like a dream come true. He smiled and reached for the erhu before the dark thoughts began to fill his mind. America was only being polite. He had been woken by the sounds of music and he was pissed, but he couldn't show it because he was a guest in someone else's house. He didn't want to hear China's music. He didn't want to hear him play his song.

That was all there was to it...

"Go to sleep, America," China said with a sigh. He stood up, taking his erhu with him and heading for the door.

"Wait!" America called after him, standing up as well. "You really aren't going to play for me?"

But China was already gone, leaving America on his own to wonder what was going through the other nation's head and how he could help him in any way possible.


	2. Mistake

China lay in bed having lost track of the time. All he knew was he didn't sleep a wink. Just a few rooms down was a guest, a very unexpected guest, and China for some reason found himself a wreck because of it. He supposed he was just extremely surprised at someone showing up so randomly. Of course considering it wasn't out of the nature of said person to be so random and sporadic China shouldn't have been that surprised.

He sighed as he shuffled around in his bed, trying to forget about silly America and attempt to fall asleep. It didn't take him long to realize his attempts were futile. Was he really that overwhelmed by America being there?

"What's the matter with me?" he whispered.

He was acting as if he never had a guest before. And in his long years he definitely had encountered guests showing up uninvited. Why was he so frazzled this time around?

Perhaps because it truly had been a while since someone had willingly graced him with their company.

Another long sigh escaped his mouth and he finally got the energy to sit up straight. He didn't have to look outside to know that the sun was starting to rise. He could feel it in his body, however just to be sure he looked over at his clock.

"Six-fourteen A.M." he said. He was an early riser, always had been, but even he had difficulty functioning on no sleep. Even so, he forced himself to stand and prepare for the day. He had a guest who would wake up soon and needed to be fed and he needed to eat himself. Hopefully after eating something he would feel more awake. He promised to take America sightseeing and it wouldn't do if he slept the whole day...or worse if he fell asleep while sightseeing.

He dawdled into his kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes all the while. His discombobulated mind wasn't able to grasp the task of preparing something for breakfast.

"What do I even have?" he whispered to himself in Chinese. He opened his cabinets and found several things he could easily cook up, but he remembered his guest's palette was much different than his.

"Will America like this stuff?"

He doubted it. Although, America should have known when he jumped on the plane that he would encounter food he wasn't familiar with. Though, on the other hand it would be rude of China to not be considerate of what his friend may or may not eat.

"You know what..." China said as he walked towards his fridge and thrust open the door. There was his answer, staring him in the face.

"Eggs. Eggs will work."

Eggs. Universal, simple, and tasty. Eggs.

He was going to give himself a pat on the back when something crossed his mind. What if America came here expecting to try the cultural food? China hadn't even given him the benefit of the doubt and just assumed America wanted to eat some of his own culture's food. What if his guest found the non-Chinese dish insulting?

"I'm over-thinking this."

He took a deep breath and tried to put his tired mind in a proper state. After several minutes of deep breathing he was finally able to clear his mind and focus. He wasn't in a perfect state of mind, but he was much better than he had been before.

"I'll make a little of each."

And so it was settled. His menu consisted of sunny side up eggs (for the typical American palette), some mantou and some youtiao which should be easy enough for anyone to enjoy, and simple rice congee.

And so China tied his hair back and got to work cooking. He had no idea what time America would wake up. He was probably still exhausted from the flight, plus he had been woken up in the middle of the night because of China's erhu playing. There was no telling what time China could expect to see his guest awake, though better safe than sorry. At worst America would sleep in and the food would have to be reheated when he woke up.

So as America slept, China worked. He cooked as much food as he could, knowing how much the other man loved to eat. When he finally finished cooking he looked at the clock and realized he had taken a lot longer than he had intended. He had been cooking for close to an hour and a half. He blamed it all on his tiredness from not sleeping, though he did feel accomplished for cooking as much as he did. Figuring America still wouldn't wake anytime soon he put all the different foods on separate plates and covered them with paper towels. America would surely have no problem finding his way to the food.

After quickly cleaning the dishes he was finally able to sit down and relax a little. He trudged to a room a few doors down from the kitchen, an entertainment area for guests, though it hadn't been used in a while.

He walked inside and lay on one of the couches. He didn't understand why he was so tired. He'd had sleepless nights many times before, but had never been this worn out from it.

"I don't get it."

He curled up and rested his head on one of the pillows. As he wondered what he was supposed to do with the other man residing in his house he finally fell asleep.

On the other side of the house was a gentleman who was slowly waking up. America looked at his watch, the time alone making him wake up fully. He was about to freak out when he remembered his watch wasn't correct. He was visiting a foreign land and the time differences were rather large.

"Why do I keep forgetting I'm here?"

He looked around his room for an accurate clock, but there wasn't one. He had no idea what time it was and he knew China wouldn't wake him up out of politeness. However, there was a more important problem than worrying about what time it was.

"I'm starving!"

He climbed out of the bed and left the room. He had no idea where China's room was and he also didn't know where the kitchen was. This presented a problem. He wandered around aimlessly, not sure what room led where.

"He should have given me a map for this place. It's freakin' huge!"

The house was the definition of what he imagined a Chinese house looking like. It was like the houses in those martial arts movies, wood floors, long hallways, pretty water gardens and stone paths outside. There was no time to admire the house though. America needed to open some of these doors. Surely one of them would either lead him to his friend or even better lead him to food.

"Here goes nothing!"

He flung open a promising looking door and peeked inside.

"This...is not correct."

Behind the door was neither food nor China, but it was intriguing nevertheless. America couldn't help himself as he walked into the room and looked around in awe. The room looked like a museum of weapons. There were so many weapons on display, several of them America had never seen before.

"This is awesome," he whispered. "This is seriously supremely awesome."

He walked to a wall that held some staffs with blades on the end of them. Those were the absolute coolest things he had seen since he came to China. He wondered what they were called. He didn't want to admit that his knowledge of Chinese history, culture, and in this case weaponry was minimal at best.

"I want one." he whined quietly.

He briefly wondered if the airports would allow him to take one on the plane with him, but then shot down the idea. The odds of China even letting him have one were ludicrous. He could only admire and fawn over them. Like a kid in a candy store he quickly turned around to see what other weapons there were. He faced another wall that held a variety of swords, all of them balancing on stands.

"These are so cool!"

He wondered if these were all weapons China used in battles. He had lived a long time, a lot longer than America could even begin to fathom. China had seen his fair share of wars in his many years and these weapons could only be proof of that.

"Impressive," America whispered as he thought about how strong China really was.

He couldn't help himself. These weapons were so awesome and just staring at them wasn't cutting it. He slowly and carefully lifted one of the swords from it's stands. It was already out of it's sheath; America wasn't sure if it had a sheath to begin with. The sword was light with a small hilt and thin, long blade.

"This is so awesome!"

America smiled as he held the weapon in his hands. This wasn't the first time he had held a sword, but this was different. This weapon was...ancient. It was so old and yet so strong. Just like it's master it most likely had seen several battles and had killed its share of humans. This was a piece of Chinese history.

He smiled widely at the sword and then took another look around the room. His search for food had brought him to a place far better than any kitchen he could think of. Maybe he could convince China to bring him back here and tell him about all of the weapons.

As much as he wanted to stay and admire the variety of weaponry he had to admit he was starting to get extremely hungry. It was time to find China or food. Either one would work. He quickly put the sword back on the stand and turned to leave when he heard a most horrific sound. The sound of metal crashing against each other, toppling on the wooden floor rang through the room. America didn't want to turn around. If he didn't turn around then what he thought happened wouldn't be true.

But he had to. He held his breath as he slowly turned his body, his eyes closed to whatever the sight in front of him would be.

"If I just pretend nothing happened then...everything will be fine."

He didn't believe a word of it and it did nothing to make him feel better. It was time to face the music. He slowly opened one eye, the other eye jumping open when he saw everything in front of him. It was worse then he thought.

The sword America had picked up had been above four other swords. He didn't know how it happened, but somehow the sword he put back had fallen. The stand had collapsed, it and the sword taking every other sword and stand beneath it along the way.

"Oops," America whispered. He stared at the swords that littered the ground, wondering if he should take the chance to try and put them back.

"Man, what have I done?"

He was about to start cleaning up when he heard something behind him, something worse than the sounds of swords falling to the ground.

"What happened?"

'_Shit,'_ America thought. He faced the door, staring at the horrified look on China's face. America forced a small smile and waved.

"N-ni hao," America squeaked out.

China slowly walked into the room, his breathing heavy. America thought the Asian was going to break out into tears. He was mumbling to himself in his native language, America not understanding a word. He was sure it wasn't anything good.

"China, I...I don't know what happened."

"It's fine, just...just go."

"I can help clean up! I don't know how they all fell but-"

"It's fine!" China said, obviously trying his best not to yell. He stepped between America and the mess on the floor. "It's fine. Please, just go."

America wanted to stay. He wanted so badly to stay and do whatever he could to help China and beg his forgiveness. However, he knew he wasn't wanted right now. He hesitantly left the room, standing outside to listen to the sounds of China picking up the swords and arranging them again. This wasn't exactly what he envisioned when he decided to visit his friend.

He sat on the ground next to the door and sighed. "I'm sorry, China."

* * *

><p><strong><em>This chapter didn't have anything to do with my theme of music but I promise the theme hasn't changed. ^_^ The music will appear again. Promise ^_^ <em>**


	3. Learning

America could hear China cleaning up the mess from the other side of the door. He felt absolutely horrible. He knew how upset he would be if someone had went into his storage closet and knocked everything down. He couldn't blame China for his anger.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted this trip to start out."

Though there was something else on America's mind. China seemed to have been bothered by something ever since he arrived. China seemed depressed for some reason and America had no idea why. The situation with the swords certainly didn't help the Asian's mood, but perhaps that was the straw that broke the camel's back. There was something else wrong with him…something bigger.

America slowly slid open the door and peeked his head in. China was standing up, leaning his weapons against the wall. He would have to replace the stands for them eventually.

"Are you okay in here?" America asked in a tiny voice.

"Who told you to come in here in the first place, America?"

"No one, dude," America said as he walked inside. "I was looking for you and found this room. I didn't mean to make such a mess. It was an accident. One minute all the swords are on the wall and then when I turn around they're all on the ground. I'm sorry."

China stared at the Westerner for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.

"It's fine," he said in a tired voice. "They weren't damaged so no harm done. Please be careful around my things though."

"No problem!" America breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he was forgiven. He followed China out of the room and stayed silent as they walked to a different room. This was the place he had been looking for!

"Food! Yes! I'm starving, man! What do we have to eat?"

China uncovered all of the food he made and chuckled at the excited sound America made.

"Let's eat!" America yelled.

"Not so fast!" China said. "Let me heat up the food again. It's gotten cold."

It was then that China realized he didn't even know what time it was. He regretted ever looking at the clock when he saw the time. It was almost one in the afternoon. Had he really been asleep that long? It was understandable that America would sleep so late considering his trip and the fact he was woken in the middle of the night, but China never expected to sleep in so late.

He quietly microwaved the food. A strong headache was beginning to appear and China hoped eating would help stop it. When the food was reheated he made both of them plates and told America to follow him again. He took the excited American to the same room he had taken a nap in.

They sat on opposite couches, China slowly picking at his food and America taking in his surroundings.

"That's an awesome TV!" America yelled, staring at the flat screen. "It seems odd for you to have this kind of stuff in your house!"

"You mean modern day things?" China asked with a roll of his eyes. "I can be traditional and modern at the same time."

"I like the mix!" America said, taking a large bite of his food. As he watched China eat he thought about what he truly wanted to ask him. For some reason he felt compelled to figure out what was wrong with his friend, if there was anything wrong at all. Perhaps China had always been this way and no one ever noticed.

"So, were you really that upset over the swords?"

A scoff came from the other man and he shot a glare at America. "How can you even ask me that? Those swords are extremely important to me. Each and every one of them were used either by me or someone important in my history. In fact those weapons helped change and decide my history. Of course I'm upset that you knocked them all to the ground!"

America cringed at the harsh response. He scratched the back of his head as he thought of a way to reword his question. "I said that wrong. Like...what I mean is..." he sighed deeply, trying to think of a way to ask his question without insulting China anymore than he already had.

"When I was little and still living with England I would throw a lot of temper tantrums! England would calm me down, but he would always tell me that when people get extremely upset over something that they wouldn't normally get upset over or something you wouldn't expect them to get upset about it meant there was something else bothering them. Something they probably didn't want to talk about."

China was quiet for a while, poking at his food with his chopsticks. His glare slowly softened until he finally turned away from America completely. There were several things running through his head and so much he wanted to say. He finally decided on a simple answer, one that would put America on the spot again.

"Why do you think I wouldn't be upset over you knocking down my treasures?"

"I'm not saying that!" America was starting to turn red. He was even ignoring his food just so he could focus on exactly what it was he wanted to say. "I know you, China! You looked like you were going to cry when you walked into that room! I expected you to be pissed off, not all sad and stuff! Something else is bothering you that caused you to react like that and I want to know what it is!"

And the tables were turned so China was back on the spot. Since when did America suddenly become so perceptive to the way people felt? He sighed, looking for any way out of answering America's question. It was nice to have someone who wanted to talk to him and help him, but China wasn't even sure he knew what was bothering him. He knew he hadn't been himself lately, even since way before America had shown up on his doorstep.

"I don't know how to answer your question, America. It's not always so easy to talk about certain things. Just leave it alone, alright?"

America almost gasped as the soft, sad way China spoke. This man in front of him wasn't the same spunky and cheerful China he knew. He was always so energetic even though he was the oldest and that was one of the things America had always admired most about him. What happened?

Not one prone to giving up, America wanted to keep talking to China in hopes of getting even a small answer out of him, yet before he could open his mouth to speak he was interrupted and his focus was completely broken.

"You have phones here too?"

"Why do you think I'm so primitive?" China yelled, obviously annoyed with how he was perceived by the American. He set his food down as he stood and walked towards his telephone.

At first America ignored the conversation since he couldn't understand a word of it and continued to eat his food, but then he thought he noticed something. He certainly wasn't an expert, but it didn't sound like his friend was speaking Chinese. He listened a bit closer and was almost positive China was not at all speaking his native language. He supposed it would make sense for China to know several languages. He had been alive long enough and had associated with plenty of different countries; America shouldn't have been so surprised.

"China?" he asked with his mouth full as the other country finished his phone conversation. "You weren't speaking in Chinese were you?"

"You noticed?" China asked in a surprised tone.

"I was right? Sweet!" America cried. "It just sounded different! What was it?"

"That was Japan on the phone," China told him. "I was speaking Japanese. Japan thinks he speaks Chinese well, but he really doesn't. I try to make his life a little easier on him by speaking Japanese when I talk to him."

"That was Japan? You should have told him hi for me!"

"He wasn't calling for anything. Only to remind me of a meeting we have about some finances or exports or…something."

"Oh…well…I still think it's cool you know Japanese! That's awesome!"

A small smile crossed China's face. "I know majority of the Asian languages. It's nothing special."

"Dude, that's totally special!" America yelled excitedly as he downed the rest of his food. "Not only do you speak English and Chinese, which are like the hardest languages to learn, but you also know all the other Asian languages! That's badass!"

China couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Hearing America so excited about something he considered so small was amusing to him, however he was happy that someone could appreciate him, even if the appreciation was for something little.

"I still get confused when I have to speak British! You think I would be used to it by now, but nope!"

"British?" China asked. "I don't know if that's considered a separate language."

"It's totally different though!" America argued. "The words are all wrong! They call french fries 'chips' and chips 'crisps!' It's crazy wrong!"

The grin never left China's face as he shook his head. "If you say so."

"I also speak Spanish!" America blurted out.

"Seriously?" The day had just been full of surprises….

"_Hablo espa_ñ_ol, mi amigo._ Spanish has become really popular over at my place. So many people speak it so I decided to learn! Spain taught me!"

"I'm actually impressed with you, America. That's great." China didn't think America knew any other languages except his own. It made him wonder what else he didn't know about the young nation. Perhaps he deserved more credit than he was given.

"I had to listen to a lot of Spanish music. Spain said that was one of the best ways to learn!" Just when America said that he suddenly got an idea. China obviously wasn't going to open up about his feelings so perhaps America needed to take a different approach.

"I actually had a lot of fun listening to the Spanish music. It was interesting hearing music that wasn't from my country."

"I never imagined you would be so cultured, America. You should express your interest in the other countries more often. It's a good trait."

"I will express my interest more! I'll start with you! Why don't you play me some music from that instrument you were playing the other day? Erhu, right? I wanted to hear more from you last night, but you ran away!"

"There's nothing to hear," China said abruptly, wanting to end the conversation. He stood and gathered the dishes, heading out of the room.

"Yes there is!" America cried, following after China. "I wanted to hear more! The music was so pretty. I really never heard anything like it and I was hoping that you would play more. Please, China?"

China scowled as he made it to the kitchen and dropped the dishes in his sink. He couldn't understand why America was so intent on hearing him play the erhu. Now that he spoken to America and learned a little bit about him it was safe to assume he wasn't just being polite by asking to hear him play. Still China couldn't shake the thought that there was an ulterior motive to America wanting to hear him play, something he wouldn't be happy about.

"Aren't we supposed to go sightseeing?" China tried to change the subject.

"It's too late! We have to start early if we want to sightsee. It's already afternoon so we might as well find something else to do. Play the erhu! Play the erhu!"

A sigh escaped China and he shook his head. He wasn't budging. He thought he was being a little unreasonable, but he just didn't want to play his instrument in front of America. It had been so long since someone listened to him play. So long….

"Get dressed," China said, quickly walking away. "We're going to the market then. There's no point in you coming all this way and not seeing even a little of my country."

"But, but…wait! I do wanna see your country! I totally wanna see the market and all the cool sites and stuff, but…" America drifted off as China left the room and disappeared down the hallway, disappointment written all over his face. "…your music."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I hope everyone is still enjoying my story. I've had a severe case of writer's block recently and I keep trying to write, but it's never up to my standards. I have all these things going through my head about this story (things I like about it and things I don't) so I really hope that everyone here likes it and continues to read it. <strong>_


	4. Panda

Going out into the streets made China realize that America had the attention span of a puppy. It was hard to keep an eye on him since every second he was off running toward something he found so incredibly interesting. China felt like he was watching a child. However, despite all of the distractions they actually managed to buy groceries so they would have something to eat later that night.

"I think we're done here." China told America.

"No way! We've barely gotten started! There's so much stuff! I want to see it all!"

A sigh came from China as America once again ran off in some random direction. There was indeed a lot to see, but there was also no way America would manage to see even a small portion of it, let alone all of it.

"So much energy…." China whispered as he followed after America. He found him at a tourist stand. China tried his best to avoid thinking how typical that was and stood next to him, wondering what he found so interesting about the little shop.

"You like cute things, right?" America asked when China made his way to him.

"Excuse me?"

"And you like panda bears too!" America cried happily. He picked up a stuffed panda and nearly shoved it in China's face. "Why don't I buy this for you?"

"What?" China stared at the toy. He did love panda bears and he couldn't deny that the panda was extremely cute, but there was no way he would accept the gift. "Why don't you buy yourself something as a souvenir? I don't need anything."

"I will eventually, but right now I want to buy you something. You want this panda, don't you?"

China just shook his head. "No, I don't want the panda."

"I think you're lying. You always want pandas."

"I don't always want pandas."

"Yeah, you do! You're like, panda obsessed."

"I like pandas! It doesn't mean I'm obsessed with them!"

"I'm not saying it as a bad thing! It's cool you like pandas! So I'm gonna buy you this panda toy!"

"America, would you just put it down already?" China could see the salesman was getting annoyed with the two of them. Having a loud American yell about pandas to an equally loud Chinese man wasn't the best way to attract customers.

"Nope! I'm buying this for you! We're going home with a panda bear today."

"Seriously, America, I don't want the panda!"

"Yes, you do!" America gave an exasperated sigh, obviously bothered that China didn't want to accept his present. "You like pandas and you like cute things! What's better than a cute stuffed panda?"

"I just think that you should spend your money on something you can take home with you. I can buy a stuffed panda anytime. Buy something for yourself."

America just shook his head as he pulled out his wallet. "Sure, you can buy a stuffed panda anytime! I can too. They're not exactly hard to find where I'm from. But this panda will be special because you got it from a friend. This isn't just any old toy panda."

"I…." China didn't know what to say. He couldn't remember the last time someone had bought him a gift. Even if it were something as simple as a stuffed animal America knew that China would appreciate it, not because it was a panda bear or because it was cute. He would appreciate it because someone he cared about and considered a friend gave it to him.

"Well…thank you then," China said in a low voice, finally submitting.

"There you go! That's what I want to hear!" America yelled cheerfully. He pulled a bunch of bills from his wallet and started to sort through them.

"Ah, I don't know how to read this Chinese money. How much do I owe? Eh, it doesn't matter really. I'll pay whatever."

China immediately snatched the money from America and started counting it. "I'm glad you remembered to change your money over to our currency," he started. "But don't just throw your money away so easily! I'm right here so if you need to buy something ask me for help please."

"Sure thing, boss!"

China shook his head as he paid the salesperson the correct amount and handed the remaining bills back to America.

"Perfect! My first Chinese purchase! And it officially belongs to you now!"

China smiled as he took the bear and held it lovingly in his arms. "Thank you. You're really sweet sometimes, America."

"All in a day's work!" America said. He laughed nervously and looked toward the ground. China stared for a moment at the blush forming on America's face. He couldn't hold in the small giggle, though he hid his own blush with his new stuffed panda.

"We should leave now. Let's go home."

China could almost sense the relief from the salesperson as the two of them left. China clutched his panda like he would never let it go. He truly loved his new gift and was thankful to America for thinking of him even when he found so many other interesting things he could have bought.

The way home took a bit longer because America was still running off looking at things he found fascinating, but China didn't mind so much this time. He walked calmly along and even taught America about some of the more interesting things he had pointed out. It was pleasant, relaxing, and fun.

Even when they made it home China didn't want their fun to end. He showed America how to cook some easy and traditional Chinese dishes. He also showed him how to make Chinese food with ingredients that could be found in the Unites States. Though after taking a while to teach America to cook they were starving. They ate in the entertainment room they had eaten in earlier that day. America asked China to tell him more about the swords and a little of his history. They shared stories of their pasts, happy to learn more about each other.

"You're so impressive!" America cried as he ate his last bite of food. "You've done so much!"

"I've lived a very long time. Besides your history is quite impressive as well. You've done a lot in your short amount of time as a country. You're a force to be reckoned with."

America shrugged. "I just do what I need to do."

"And it's gotten you very far."

China carried their dishes back to the kitchen with America following behind him. China knew there was something on the American's mind. He could sense his hesitation to bring it up. China was pretty sure he knew it was, but he didn't want to bring it up either. Instead he left the dishes in the sink and went back to the entertainment room to grab his little stuffed panda.

"Let's sit outside," he told America.

The two made their way to the porch and sat. America stared at the moon and he glanced over at China to remark on how big it was, but it was then he noticed China wasn't focused on the moon at all. His attention was solely on his new toy.

"I'm glad you like the bear."

"I love her."

America chuckled as he fiddled with the panda's ear. "It's a girl?"

China just nodded, embarrassed that he had let that slip. He had decided the panda was a girl the moment he laid eyes on it.

"What's her name?"

"She…doesn't have one yet." China also didn't want to admit that he had been trying to think of a name for her since she officially became his. All of the names he thought of just didn't seem to work for her. Nothing fit her.

"I'll help you think of one! Two minds are better than one! Oh…well actually, do you want to give her a Chinese name? I don't think I'm up on my Chinese baby names!"

China gave a thoughtful sigh. So far he had only been thinking of Chinese names and nothing seemed to be right for his panda. Even as more names came to mind he instantly shot them down. Nothing was right for this little panda, although he hadn't considered stepping outside the realm of Chinese names.

"Maybe we should give her an American name," China suggested.

"Really? You sure?"

China nodded. "I think that will be better for her. She's special…just like you said she was. She needs a special name."

"I like Julie!" America yelled.

"What?"

"When you said she didn't have a name I instantly thought of Julie! It's a pretty name and she's a pretty panda! I think it fits her!"

"Julie…." China repeated as he stared at his panda. Julie. It was a cute name. He definitely would never have come up with it himself. It was different and…special.

"I think Julie is perfect."

"You mean it?" America asked.

China nodded. "Her name is Julie! I love it!"

"She loves it too!" America cried as he grabbed China into an embrace. His excitement had gotten the better of him and he wanted to celebrate the panda's new name. Surprisingly, China didn't push America away. Instead he laughed and celebrated right along with him.

"Julie! A fantastic name for a fantastic panda!" China said.

"Yep!" America said. "How do you want to celebrate? It's not everyday a panda gets a freakin' awesome name."

China felt a bit silly for even considering celebrating the naming of a stuffed toy, but at the same time he was having so much fun. He couldn't remember the last time he had such a great time with another person. America had a way of bringing life and excitement to any situation, even if it was something as simple as naming a stuffed panda.

"I can get us a drinks. I have a few lying around."

"We shouldn't drink in front of children even if they are bears!" America said.

China snickered before shaking his head. "Then what do you suggest?"

A smirk crossed America's face. "How about you play us a song on your erhu?"

China's hands tightened around Julie. He felt his entire body tense up before he pulled away from America's embrace. He should have known America would say that.

"Why do you want so badly to hear me play that instrument?"

"Why are you fighting so hard to not play the instrument for me?"

"Don't answer my question with another question!"

"Don't ask questions that will make me answer with another question."

China scoffed then turned his back toward America, staring at his little panda. He should have been enthusiastic about playing the erhu for someone other than himself. Now that he finally had someone willing to listen to him, he absolutely refused to play.

And he simply didn't understand why.

"China?"

A hand crept onto China's shoulder and he visibly shuddered. He wanted to curse at himself for acting this way, but he couldn't control it. He turned his head slowly to see America looking at him, that same soft smile he had when he first heard the erhu being played was on his face now.

"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to. I just want you to know that I loved your music. It was so beautiful and I just wanted to hear it again. If you don't want to play though, that's fine. We'll find something else to do."

America wished he could read his friend's mind. He wanted to know why he was so hesitant to play the erhu again. There was more to it than simply not wanting to play for him. Something was going on with China and it was something America wanted to know about. He wanted to help and he hoped he could do so before he had to go back home.

In one quick motion China was on his feet, staring at America. China gave him the panda and told him to wait there as he left the porch. America looked at the panda and shook his head.

"You gotta help me here, Julie! China's sad and I don't know why! We have to get to the bottom of this!"

The panda stared right back at him as if to say _"You're right! We'll figure out what's wrong with him and help him get through it!"_

"Damn right we will!" America yelled. "We got this! Everything will be right as rain before you know it!"

"Are you talking to Julie?"

America turned around quickly, not realizing China was right behind him. He had come back so quickly, but America didn't even think about that. All he noticed was the wonderful item in China's hands.

"Are you really going to play for me?" he asked excitedly.

A sigh came from China as he shook his head and made his way next to America to sit down, his erhu in hand. "There you go answering my questions with more questions."

"I'm sorry! I just…" America squeezed Julie tightly as he tried to find the right words. "I just didn't think you would actually play for me! I'm so happy!"

China shrugged. "I really don't have much of a reason to not play for you. I might as well play a song or two."

And just like that the air was filled with the sounds of traditional and beautiful music. America hugged Julie close to him and watched China play. He didn't know what he found so captivating about the music. It was so serene and lovely and yet passionate and serious. Or perhaps it was the way China moved so gracefully. From his fingers running along the strings to his arm moving the bow, he moved as if he was a part of the instrument itself. This was also the first time America had seen China's face as he played. A small smile tickled at his lips, but he looked so much more relaxed than he had since America had appeared.

America knew that was China's escape. His erhu and the magical music that came out of it was the way China escaped from the harsh realities of life.

It comforted America to know that China had somewhere to run to when life became too much. It also made him so happy to know that China actually invited him into his private world of music and serenity. America had invaded that private world last time, which may have been why he was so hesitant to play again, but now China played willingly and America couldn't have been happier.

"Play more," America asked quietly as China's song came to an end. He wanted to listen to the sound of erhu all night if he could. Unexpectedly, China immediately started playing again. As he played he kept his eyes on America, trying to read him and figure out what was going through his mind.

"Why do you love this music so much?"

America cocked his head at the question. "Well…I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I think it's pretty and it's unfamiliar to me. I mean, it sounds like a violin, but it's different. Plus it's special because you're the one playing it."

A small chuckle came from China. "It wouldn't be the same if it were anyone else playing?"

"No way!" America shook his head furiously. "You play beautifully. I don't have much to compare to, but I like the way you play. Everyone has their own sound and I think yours is wonderful. I doubt anyone else's erhu music would be so enthralling."

"That's a bold statement."

"It's true!" America said with a smile. "You're my favorite erhu player and you always will be!"

Another laugh came from China right before he finished his second song. As much as America wanted to hear more it seemed his friend was done for the night. China leaned his erhu against the railing before falling back to lie down, his arms stretched out by his sides.

"You confuse me, America," China confessed. "But I'm glad you like my music. I had fun with you today…except the part when you knocked over my weapons."

"Accident! Purely accidental!"

America ignored the scoff that came from China as he made his way closer to him to put the panda on his chest. China affectionately rubbed it's nose and ears as if it were real. He loved that silly panda more than he wanted to admit. He moved his eyes from the panda to America to thank him for it again and he realized his guest was watching him intently.

"America?"

"Hmm?"

"You're staring."

America blinked a few times, obviously unaware he was doing such an act. "Sorry!" he said quickly turning away.

"You don't have to stop looking at me," China said with a laugh. "What were you thinking about?"

America faced China again though he kept his eyes more on the panda than the person. "I was thinking you should play the erhu for me all the time! I just…really love when you play."

"I'm glad you enjoy it so much, America. It's been a long time since someone has complimented me on my music. Of course, I don't often play in front of other people so…."

America nodded before placing his eyes back on China's, the two of them finally looking at each other without any awkwardness.

"I'll listen anytime you play." America said. "You music really does make me so happy."

"It makes me happy too," China answered. "Thank you for appreciating it."

America smiled softly. The two of them sat without saying another word, playing with Julie's ears and paws. The moment felt almost as serene as when China was playing the erhu. It was calm and easy and relaxing…and yet America's heart and stomach were fluttering like mad. His mind was running in circles and just like so many other times, he acted spontaneously.

He leaned down and planted a quick and soft kiss on China's lips. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to see the look on China's face. In just a few seconds the peaceful silence they were resting in turned deafening. America was unsure whether the decision he made was the right one. He knew his impulsiveness would get him trouble…it always had. He also hadn't considered that China had been acting so differently lately. What if kissing him threw him over the edge? What if the kiss only made him feel worse?

Though when he felt the soft stuffed panda smack him on the side of his face, he knew this was the normal China.

"Why did you do that?" China attempted to sound angry, but his voice betrayed him as he only managed to sound embarrassed. He had sat up and clutched his panda again, his back completely against the railing.

"Really?" America asked, seeming to be more comfortable knowing that China was acting more like himself. "The mood was totally there. Don't tell me you didn't feel it?"

"There was no mood!" China argued. "I didn't feel any mood!"

"It was there! I guarantee it!"

"The mood to kiss me?"

"A romantic mood, China. We were sitting in a romantic atmosphere. Of course I have to kiss you if that's what the mood is!"

"You, who can't sense the atmosphere at all, can suddenly tell when the mood turns romantic?"

"I can sense moods! Our mood was romantic. Come now. You wanted to kiss me too. Admit it."

China shook his head furiously, clutching Julie as tightly as he possibly could. "That is not true."

America and China stared each other, one looking like he was about to die from embarrassment and the other looking as if he wanted to laugh at the whole situation. America did in fact laugh a bit. He flashed China a wide smile, the smile everyone was so familiar with.

"Well, I'm sorry if it was unexpected. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I swear the mood was right, but if you say it wasn't…." America shrugged as he drifted off.

Slowly, China lowered his eyes to the ground and turned his face away. His hands were nervously fiddling with the panda bear. "Just…next time ask me first."

America's eyebrows rose. Did he just hear correctly? Surely China didn't just say what he thought he said.

The wonderful thing was that…he did say it. The words came straight from his mouth and America couldn't stop the happiness that filled his heart. Maybe in some strange way he would be able to help China out after all. Trust was the basis of any relationship and America felt China was beginning to open little by little.

"China?" he said his name lowly as he scooted closer toward his friend. "Are you telling me that…there will be a next time?"

China didn't say anything, still staring at the ground beneath them. He could feel that America was closer to him, but he only looked at him when he felt fingers under his chin, pulling his face in the other direction. China met America's eyes, those blue eyes that were filled with excitement and happiness.

"China?" America said again.

But China still didn't answer. He jumped to his feet, grabbing his erhu and holding his panda, running away just like he did the night before. America wasn't worried. He knew China was running away because he felt embarrassed and didn't want to admit how he felt about the kiss. He would have to wait until tomorrow to talk about it, but America was confident that he was finally breaking down the walls China had put up. He still had a long way to go, but he was ready to face the challenge in order to help his friend.

* * *

><p><em><strong>My favorite line: "I think you're lying. You always want pandas."<strong>_

_**Haha, I don't know why but I found that line soooo funny! Anyway, I have a lot of different thoughts about this particular chapter...however I won't share them. Instead you share your thoughts with me. I want to know what you think cause this story is still giving me a lot of trouble! It's like my problem child that I just can't give up on haha. **_


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